Exhauster.



A. L. DUNCAN.

EXHAUSTER.

APPLICATION FILED APILQ, 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

A.; Armen/Ens THE NoRRls P- NETE@ STATES PATENT @FECE ARTHUR L. DUNCAN, OIE FRUITVALE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR- 0F ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES E. FORRY AND ONE-THIRD TO E. I-I. DUNCAN, BOTH OF FRUITVALE,

CALIFORNIA.

EXHAUSIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application led .April 9, 1914. Serial No. 83),826.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. DUNCAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fruitvale, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exhausters, of which the following is a specification.

lhe present invention relates to an improvement in canning machinery and more particularly to an exhaust box through which the lilled cans either open topped or with their partly attached covers are passed for the exhaust of the air therefrom, preparatory to the sealing and cooking thereof, and the present invention has for its principal objects to provide a device having concentric spiral trackways connected at one end and which are exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, and along which the iilled cans are caused to pass by independent pusher-bars; to provide a device in which the pusher-bars assist in maintaining the cans on the trackways; to provide means for switching or transferring the cans from one traclway to the other; to provide means for continuously and automatically delivering filled cans to the apparatus and for removing the same therefrom after the air has been exhausted therefrom.

l/Vith the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may he resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any advantages of the invention.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein is disclosed one form of my invention, and in which- Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the improved apparatus, disclosing the spiral rails, the mounting therefor and the pusherbars cooperating therewith. F ig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2 2, F ig. l, disclosing the can feed mechanism and the means for transferring or switching the cans from one rail to the other at the junction point thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral l designates a base plate which supports a suitable cylindrical housing 2 formed with a cover 8. A stationary shaft 4 is disposed vertically through the center of the housing and is mounted at its ends in the base plate l and the cover 3. Mounted within the cylindrical housing 2 on opposite sides of the supports i extending upwardly from the base l are the outer and inner oppositely disposed spiral trackways 5 and 6 which are substan, tially L-shaped in cross section and along which the filled cans are propelled in a hereinafter described manner.

The outside upwardly inclined spiral trackway 5 leads from an opening 7 formed in the housing 2 and through which the cans or other containers either open topped or with their covers partly clamped thereon are fed or introduced by the hereinafter flescribed mechanism, and said outer' trackway 5 connects at its upper end with the upper end of the inside downwardly inclined spiral trackway 6, which terminates at its lower end adjacent a discharge opening 8 formed inthe housing 2 and through which the receptacles operated upon are discharged by the hereinafter described mechanism.

rl`he receptacles or containers are propelled along the respective trackways 5 and 6 by the outwardly and inwardly disposed vertically extending pusher-bars 9 and l0 which are substantially L-shaped in cross section and which are disposed adjacent the outer edge of the supporting portion of the respective trackways. The pusher bars 9 and l0 depend from an annular ring 1l provided on its inner edge with a downwardly projecting flange, provided on its inner surface with teeth l2, and said ring is supported by a disk l2 rotatable on the shaft l and retained in position adjacent the upper end thereof by the hub portion of an arm 13 which is rigidly mounted on the shaft by the set screw l5. The lower ends of said outer pusher-bars 9 are connected by a ring 16, and the lower ends of said inner pusherbars 10 are connected by an annular member 17 vformed on its inner face with teeth 18.-

` "drawings, that the diameter of the cans or Y receptacles thereon.

receptacles is such as to overhang the lower supporting portion of the L-shaped track-- ways, and the cans or receptacles as positioned thereon are engaged in the rear and on their outer side by the oppositely disposed faces of the L-shaped pusher-bars, and said pusher-bars in their movement relative to the trackways retain the cans or The above mentioned construction and arrangement of parts dispenses with the use of the slotted channel trackways with the pusher-bars working between the same,.which are now commonly in use, and enables an eXhauster to be constructed which is considerably cheaper than those of'this type at present in use.

To perform the exhausting operation, Steam is admitted into the housing 2 in any suitable manner, not necessary to be here shown, the steamY forming the medium for exhausting the air from the cans. The filled cans or receptacles are fed through the opening 7 onto the lower portion of the trackway 5'by the fingers 25 carried by a l 'eXible endless chain 26, which operates over a plate 27 extending laterally from one side of the base 1, and said plate carries a guide 28 between which and the chain 26 i the cans are propelled. The endless chain operates at one end around a sprocket 29 carried by the upper end of a shaft 30 journaled in a bearing 31 in said plate 27 adjacent the opening 7, and said shaft carries von its lower end a sprocket 32. The cans or receptacles from which the air has been exhausted'by the action of the steam thereon, are removed from within the casing 2 at a point adjacent the lower end of the 5 trackway 6 and through the opening 8 by a rotary plate 33 onto which the cans or receptacles are delivered from the lower end of the trackway 6 by the pusher-bars 10, and said plate is formed in its peripheral edge with a. plurality of recesses 34: intoV which are received the outwardly extended edges of the pusher-bars. The plate 33 is carried on the upper end of a shaft 35 rotatably mounted in a bearing 36 formed in the'v base 1 adjacent the opening 8, and said shaft' carries at its lower end a sprocket 37. The vertical portions of the upper ends ofthe L- the hereinafter described mechanism. AV .transversely disposed plate 39 connects the upper end of each of the pusher-bars 9 and 10, and pivotally mounted, as at 40 to the upper outer sideedge of each outer pusherbar 9 in a plane slightly above the junction of the trackways 5 and 6, are the switching or transferring arms 41, which project rearwardly from each pusher-bar to a point immediately in front of a succeeding pusherbar, asin Fig. 2, adjacent the can or receptacle pushed thereby. The arms 11 are normally outwardly pressed by coiled compression springs 42 which are interposed between the inner side of the same and suitable brackets 43,.and said arms are adapted on the rotation of the disk 12 to be forced into contact with acam surface 4 4 carried by the inner surface of the housing 2 adjacent one end of the juncture point'38 of the trackways 5 and G, and to one side of av point A wherey the vertical side member of the inner track rail crosses the member 353.V

As the arms e1 are forced inwardly, the

same contact with the cans associated with the outer ends thereof and push or force the can from the outer pusher-bars 9 to the inner pusher-bars 10, the cans at this time being propelled by the transverse plates 39. A drive sprocket e5 is carried bythe lower end of the shaft 21 and the same operates a chain 46 which extends around the sprockets37, and 32, and an idler sprocket 46' rotatably mounted on the lower endof the v shaft 4, land said chain drives the can feed and discharge mechanisms in the directionof the arrow-Fig.v 2.

The device being assembled as in the drawings, and power being applied to the shaft 211, the same is timed to operate in the following manner: The filled cans orreceptacles either open topped or with their tops loosely secured thereon are deposited on the;

runwayv 27 between the chain 26 and,v the guide 28, and said cans or receptacles are engaged by the fingers 25' and carried.

through the opening 7 onto the lower vportion of the outer upwardly extending spiral trackway 5. As the cans or receptacles are deposited on the trackway by the fingers 25 the same are each engaged in the rear and outer side by a pusher-bar 9 and are forcedk upwardly on saidtrackwaytobe acted on bv the steam in said housing and asy the cans 4,

travel upwardly on said trackway, the same slide vertically on said pusher-bars. 'The cans on reaching. the top of the outer-cene are carried onto centric spiral trackway o the portion 38 and on reaching this point the same are acted on by the transferring arms 41 which force the cans inwardly from the outer pusher-bars 9 toward the inner pusher-bars l0, and in their travel from the outer to the inner pusher-bars, the same are propelled by the plates 39. The transferring or inwardly pushing of the cans from the outer pusher-bars 9 toward the inner pusher-bars 10 positions the same to contact with the vertical portion A of the inner concentric spiral track rail and said cans thus positioned are carried downwardly on said inner track-rail 6 by the inner pusher-bars l0. The cans on reaching the lower end of the inner track-rail 6 are carried by the pusher-bars onto the rotating plate 33 which removes the filled cans or receptacles with the air exhausted therefrom from within the housing through the discharge opening 8, and said cans or receptacles are removed from the plate by any suitable mechanism, not shown.

It will be apparent that the cans or receptacles may be allowed to remain in the eX- hauster for any given length of time and this is dependent upon the speed of the power shaft 24 which controls the speed of the feed and discharge mechanism, and the operation of the pusher bars.

Having thus described my invention what is claimed as new and is desired to protect by Letters Patent is l. In a device of the class described, a housing, a can-way therein comprising a single substantially L-shaped trackway, a series of vertically disposed substantially L- shaped pusher-bars disposed adjacent the outer edge of the horizontal portion of said single track-way, and means for operating said pusher-bars laterally to propel cans on said can-way.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, two concentric spirally arranged can-ways therein, the two being inclined in a direction opposite to each other and each formed of a single substantially L-shaped track-way, said track-ways communicating at one end, and means for propelling cans along said track-ways.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, two concentric spirally arranged can-ways therein, the two being inclined in a direction opposite to each other and each formed of a single substantially L-shaped track-way, said track-ways communicating at one end, means for propelling cans along said track-ways, and means for shifting the cans from one trackway to another at the joining point thereof while being propelled along said track-ways.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, two substantially L-shaped oppositely disposed concentric spirally arranged single track-ways therein for the conveying of cans, the two being inclined in a direction opposite to each other, and means for propelling the cans along said single track-ways.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, two substantially L-shaped oppositely disposed concentric spirally arranged single track-ways therein each adapted for the conveying of cans, the two being inclined in a direction opposite to each other, means connecting said single track-ways at one end, means for conveying cans along said track-ways, and means for shifting the cans from one trackway to the other at the joining point thereof while being propelled along the same.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, two substantially L-shaped oppositely disposed concentric spirally arranged single track-ways therein for the conveying of cans, the two single track-ways being inclined in a direction opposite to each other, a series of vertically disposed substantially L-shaped pusher-bars disposed adjacent the outer edge of the horizontal portions of each of said single track-ways, and means for operating said pusher bars laterally to propel cans on said track-ways.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, two substantially L-shaped oppositely disposed concentric spirally arranged track-ways therein for the conveying of cans, the two being inclined in a direction opposite to each other, means connecting said track-ways at one end, a series of vertically disposed substantially L-shaped pusher-bars disposed adjacent the outer edge of the horizontal portions of each of said track-ways, means for operating said pusher-bars laterally to propel cans on said track-ways, and means carried by certain of said pusher-bars and operated on the voperation thereof for shifting the cans from one track-way to the other at the joining point thereof.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a housing, a pair of substantially L-shaped oppositely disposed spiral track-ways, one arranged within the other and inclined in opposite directions, a shaft extending into said housing, a series of substantially l.shaped depending pusherbars supported by said shaft and capable of rotation about the same, said pusher-bars coacting with the outer edge of the horizontal portion of said track-ways and adapted on the operation thereof to advance cans up said outer track-way and down the inner track-way, means carried by each of said pusher-bars for directing the cans from the upper end of the outer track-way to the inner track-way and from the path of travel of one row of pusher-bars into the path of travel of another row of pusher-bars.

9; Ina deviceV of the class described, the combination With a housing, a pair of single substantially L-shaped oppositely disposed spiral track-Ways, one arranged Within the other and inclined in opposite directions, a single supporting means common to both of said track-Ways and to the opposite surfaces of which said single track-Ways are secured, a series of vertically disposed pusher-bars i0 coperating With each of said single track- Ways, and means for operating said pusherbars laterally to propel cans on said track- Ways. Y In testimony'vvhereof I have signed my name to this speciication in the presence of 15 Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

